Jan 13: Tour t-shirts - what are your favourites?

One part of going to see a band playing live is checking out the merchandise stand and taking home a t-shirt to remember the gig, and also to wear to another concert in the same tour ideally to show everyone that you've already been to see the show before (that works less well these days).

I have some classic t-shirts from years ago, and will be sharing images of them in the blog as the year goes by. I still fit into most of them, and quite a few are still in good nick.

Here's one of mine which dates back to 1984. 

It was a shirt I bought at the Hammersmith Odeon before seeing Jethro Tull on their 'Under Wraps' tour, when they brought in more keyboards and had the excellent Peter John-Vettese playing with them.

The concert was actually recorded for radio broadcast and later released as an album: Live at Hammersmith 1984. 

The full version is also available on YouTube. I remember being particularly pleased to hear Thick as a Brick, and some of Ian Anderson's new solo album: Fly by Night which remains a favourite of mine that I play quite regularly.

My most recent purchase was from the Sigur Rós gig at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2025 - a subtle shirt with the name of the band on the front and a TAKK cover design on the back.

Before I start sharing mine in future posts, here's a chance for you to dig into your drawers to see if you have any old classic t-shirts. 

If you do, let me know which ones you have and when they date back to. Photos welcome.

Use the Google Form here to send me your best shirts.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license